Canon 5D MK3 or 6D Replacements... when?

[Krob78]

All modern cameras are pretty amazing. If you can't get adequate results from current gear, or even an "old" 5D mkII, I think there are bigger issues that more megapixels and a little more shadow detail can cure.

People have been successfully creating photographic images for generations. There will always be advancements in technology.

please read my postings again so you understand what they are about... this doesn´t help me a bit.

an analogy i read here on this forum:

i need a car to get to work.
i can buy a volkswagen for 19000 euro and it does the job perfectly fine.
still, who would buy a volkswagen when he can get a way better mercedes for the same money?

with all this talk about the outdated canon manufacturing and a switch to a smaller litho process soon, i just fear it´s a bad time to buy a canon FF camera right now.

thoughts i have, maybe things will change much faster at the end of 2013 and in 2014.

[i can buy a volkswagen for 19000 euro and it does the job perfectly fine.
still, who would buy a volkswagen when he can get a way better mercedes for the same money?]

Where can you buy a Mercedes for the price of a Volkswagen?.  Make the jump and don't look back.  In a few years you can start the process all over again!

[docsmith]

Scenario 1, by far the most likely:  The 5DIII and 6D will be replaced on an increasely slower replacement schedule with increasingly smaller improvements as the technology is maturing.  Earliest, 2015 (3 year), most likely, 2016 (4 yr), possible, 2017-2018.

if that is the case, then i would buy a canon FF camera without hesitation.

If it helps, toward the bottom of the link is a timeline as to when Canon released DSLRs.  The 5D series was already ~4 yrs between releases, which would put the 5DIV release in 2016. 

http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/rumours.html

Now, will the 7DII be released this year or the 3D, 4D, or 1DXS...maybe, who knows.  I just know I can't buy cameras that aren't available and that Canon has shown that they are willing to set higher prices to get as much as they can from early adapters.  So, if if the 7DII is released this year, I probably wouldn't be buying it until next year, which is why I bought the 5DIII in February.

[hamada]

Scenario 1, by far the most likely:  The 5DIII and 6D will be replaced on an increasely slower replacement schedule with increasingly smaller improvements as the technology is maturing.  Earliest, 2015 (3 year), most likely, 2016 (4 yr), possible, 2017-2018.

if that is the case, then i would buy a canon FF camera without hesitation.

If it helps, toward the bottom of the link is a timeline as to when Canon released DSLRs.  The 5D series was already ~4 yrs between releases, which would put the 5DIV release in 2016. 

yes i know that.

but with all this talk about the smaller manufacturing process, i wonder if it will take so long this time?

and if they switch to a new process, will canon first use it for the flagship models only or use it for all cameras to write down the investment faster?

well so much uncertainty.

i guess what i really need is encouragement that i do the right thing with my money.

[Krob78]

Scenario 1, by far the most likely:  The 5DIII and 6D will be replaced on an increasely slower replacement schedule with increasingly smaller improvements as the technology is maturing.  Earliest, 2015 (3 year), most likely, 2016 (4 yr), possible, 2017-2018.

if that is the case, then i would buy a canon FF camera without hesitation.

If it helps, toward the bottom of the link is a timeline as to when Canon released DSLRs.  The 5D series was already ~4 yrs between releases, which would put the 5DIV release in 2016. 

http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/rumours.html

Now, will the 7DII be released this year or the 3D, 4D, or 1DXS...maybe, who knows.  I just know I can't buy cameras that aren't available and that Canon has shown that they are willing to set higher prices to get as much as they can from early adapters.  So, if if the 7DII is released this year, I probably wouldn't be buying it until next year, which is why I bought the 5DIII in February.

Indeed, that's why I waited till end of December for mine!  Seems like a common sense approach...

[Krob78]

Scenario 1, by far the most likely:  The 5DIII and 6D will be replaced on an increasely slower replacement schedule with increasingly smaller improvements as the technology is maturing.  Earliest, 2015 (3 year), most likely, 2016 (4 yr), possible, 2017-2018.

if that is the case, then i would buy a canon FF camera without hesitation.

If it helps, toward the bottom of the link is a timeline as to when Canon released DSLRs.  The 5D series was already ~4 yrs between releases, which would put the 5DIV release in 2016. 

yes i know that.

but with all this talk about the smaller manufacturing process, i wonder if it will take so long this time?

and if they switch to a new process, will canon first use it for the flagship models only or use it for all cameras to write down the investment faster?

well so much uncertainty.

i guess what i really need is encouragement that i do the right thing with my money.

Seems like a good choice to me.  The consensus here is that the production schedule is not likely to change anytime soon... The offerings that are presently available are excellent in so many ways!  If you wait, then not long after that wait, there will be a new "next best" and even greater.  There are a lot of photographers still shooting with 30d, 40d, 50d's and are as happy as ever with their images and their gear.  It's all about controlling the drooling beast within!  That's the hard part, the want over the need... for some of us it's a never ending quest and challenge! 
All the best! 

[docsmith]

i guess what i really need is encouragement that i do the right thing with my money.

.....all I can tell you is that there is an improvement going from the 7D to the 5DIII.  As I am just a hobbiest, it has caused some heartache as to if that was the best use of my money.  But there is enough of an improvement, flipping through photos my wife even commented that the 5DIII pictures looked better than those from the 7D in low light.

[ksuweh]

Take a look:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Canon_DSLR_cameras
(I imagine that if Canon released a new 6D every year, prices would drop very, very fast).

BPLOL hit this one on the head! This is the main reason that you see such a long wait between each version of a model. It is very costly to develop new technologies & incorporate new features into a product that is up to the standards for manufacturing. Canon makes sure that it can get every penny that it can. That is why Canon does come out with new features  but they put them on a new model & not a new version of an existing model. If they com out with feature "X" & you just HAVE to have it then you can get that feature ONLY if you buy camera model "F", even if you already have camera model "E". Then two years down the road when camera model "E version II" comes out with feature "X" you will buy that one also. Simply put Canon is going to sting it out so that they are more profitable, & they are masters at it! They aren't going to speed up their development process & at the same time become less profitable...... it just isn't going to happen.  Buy, the 5DIII & enjoy it until there is a new model or new version or a current model that you just can't live without.

[Krob78]

i guess what i really need is encouragement that i do the right thing with my money.

.....all I can tell you is that there is an improvement going from the 7D to the 5DIII.  As I am just a hobbiest, it has caused some heartache as to if that was the best use of my money.  But there is enough of an improvement, flipping through photos my wife even commented that the 5DIII pictures looked better than those from the 7D in low light.

The low light, noise issue was the only reason I purchased the 5d3.  I loved everything about my 7d except the noise in the shadows and low light work at weddings etc.  It's not that the images weren't usable, for 95% of them were, it's that it caused me a lot of frustration and a lot of extra time in post processing.  It was aggrevating.

I still have my 7d and although it doesn't get used as much as it onced did, I still love it and still pull it out for sports days and still often like to have it with my when I'm birding... I enjoy having both.  The 5d3 solved my low light wedding and portraiture issues with processing and does take some extremely nice wildlife images, the 7d still crushes it for me on sports days... the 8ps does make a difference for me in sports... 

[Skirball]

Scenario 1, by far the most likely:  The 5DIII and 6D will be replaced on an increasely slower replacement schedule with increasingly smaller improvements as the technology is maturing.  Earliest, 2015 (3 year), most likely, 2016 (4 yr), possible, 2017-2018.

if that is the case, then i would buy a canon FF camera without hesitation.

If it helps, toward the bottom of the link is a timeline as to when Canon released DSLRs.  The 5D series was already ~4 yrs between releases, which would put the 5DIV release in 2016. 

yes i know that.

but with all this talk about the smaller manufacturing process, i wonder if it will take so long this time?

and if they switch to a new process, will canon first use it for the flagship models only or use it for all cameras to write down the investment faster?

Who's to say?   I think it's a safe bet the 5D3 won't be updated for awhile.  Many on here consider the 6D to be a Rebel, so lets say they fast track it a bit and worst case scenario that they update it late 2014.  Would that change your decision?  Besides, if they're giving it the Rebel treatment they won't change much anyway.  1.5 - 2 years is a lot of time that you could be using your new camera.  Don't get stuck in the loop of waiting for new technology, that never ends.  They've released 3 new FF cameras in the last year, I don't think you'll get a bigger lull than this. If you're sticking with Canon and want a FF, I'd say now is exactly the time to buy.

[sdsr]

1. No matter when you buy a camera, it's a near certainty that something even better will be released later.
2. But it seems reasonable to believe that the closer you are to the most recent FF releases, the further you are from the next one. 
3. So unless there's some reason to believe that Canon will change its schedule other than wishful thinking, now seems a good time to buy one. 
4. (And unless you need to photograph things moving about fairly rapidly, I would have thought a 6D was sufficient - the images it creates are at least as good as (some say slightly better than) the 5DIII's.) 
5. On the other hand, if you're patient you may want to wait until later in the year in case the 7DII contains miraculous advances that somehow make it more attractive than a 6D or 5DIII
6. A used/refurbished 5DII is better than what you currently have and it doesn't seem likely that their price will go down much within a year or so; so you could buy one now and, when the 7DII comes out, buy whichever of the 7DII, 6D or 5DIII seems more appealing at the time. 
7.  Meanwhile, if this is an option wherever you are, you could rent a 6D and/or 5DIII, compare them to each other and what you presently have, and ponder whether they have any shortcomings that matter to you and that seem likely to be addressed by an upgrade.  You could also throw in a D600 to the mix and discover whether potentially superior shadow recovery is something you would ever benefit from (you may conclude, as I did, that any differences in that regard between a 6D and D600 are trivial).   

[hamada]

ok... that helps me making a decision.

one more question about the 5D MK3 and 6D.
one thing im not very happy with is the default skin colors out of my 7D.
they are to redish.

and while im pretty good with photoshop it´s annoying that i have to adjust the skintones.
i have a 300 euro olympus M43 that delivers much better skintones out of camera.

are the skintones better with the 6D and 5D MK3?
what are your experiences?
 

[docsmith]

Skin tones are better on the 5DIII compared to the 7D. 

EDIT---I know this is common, but I often look through flickr groups when making a decision about a lens or camera.  Here is one dedicated exclusively to the 5DIII
http://www.flickr.com/groups/canoneos5dmarkiii/

[lee]

I think a higher mega pixel will be coming soon however it will cost a lot of money. I am sure it will be geared towards the pro for studio work with great DR and color tones. my guess is that it will be in the 4k-8k range.

[hsbn]

ok... that helps me making a decision.

one more question about the 5D MK3 and 6D.
one thing im not very happy with is the default skin colors out of my 7D.
they are to redish.

and while im pretty good with photoshop it´s annoying that i have to adjust the skintones.
i have a 300 euro olympus M43 that delivers much better skintones out of camera.

are the skintones better with the 6D and 5D MK3?
what are your experiences?
 

With Photoshop/Lightroom you can change your camera profile to get the "correct" skin tone. Search Colorcheck passport or Custom DNG profile. I never have any skin tone problem with Canon. Doesn't mean to offense, but from what you are saying I think you should spend more time to learn more about photography than chasing gears. I was in the same situation at you, always hold out for the best. But now, I'm more confident with my techniques and knowledge. I can proudly say throw me any camera I can make good pictures. What's the point of printing big but crappy photo right? There is always something better. If Canon release something "better" within a year, they can release something better than better in the next year, and a year after. Do you want to wait forever? Or do you want to get out and enjoy photographing the world? Just my 2 cents.

[hamada]

With Photoshop/Lightroom you can change your camera profile to get the "correct" skin tone. Search Colorcheck passport or Custom DNG profile. I never have any skin tone problem with Canon.

yeah i know.
still i would want to have as correct colors as possible out of camera.
and it´s well known that canon has a little RED issue.
there are even jokes about the CANON RED... not for nothing.
 

Doesn't mean to offense, but from what you are saying I think you should spend more time to learn more about photography than chasing gears. I was in the same situation at you, always hold out for the best. But now, I'm more confident with my techniques and knowledge.

again, as i wrote to the other guy,  you have not carefully read or understand (maybe my bad english) my postings.
i have no problems using a 5Dc or 5D MK2 .. but i would not want to buy one when i know i can get even better stuff soon for the same (or nearly the same) money.

that´s what my post is all about.